Cave
by zebraboymom
Summary: What happens when Kono and Steve dive the wreckage of a smuggler's yacht? Steve/Kono
1. Chapter 1

Cave

Chapter One

Zebraboymom

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. Rats!

Author Notes: Got my snow day and started this new fic. I hope you guys like it. Kono and Steve dive a shipwreck and get into some unforeseen trouble. My last few pieces have been really fluffy. I figured it's time to get back to some angst and more adventure. I hope you enjoy it. Oh yeah, and fluff too. Gotta have fluff.

Danny sat holding his stomach as Steve and Kono put on their scuba gear.

"How are you doing Danno? You look a little green around the gills there."

"This rocking around in the middle of the ocean is for the birds man."

Kono and Steve grinned at each other.

"Hey Danny. It's really calm down there. Maybe you should suit up and come with us."

"Very funny, Kono. I'll just stick to the surfing lessons for now, okay?"

"Take care of him, Chin, and we should be back in less than an hour."

"You ready?"

Steve stepped to the back of the boat ready to fall backwards over the side.

"Yep. See you soon cousin."

Kono joined Steve and they both saluted and dropped over the side. Chin went below to get Danny some water and an aspirin. Next time, he would be sure Danny took something to help with the seasickness. It was too late for this time. He needed to take it an hour or so ago. Too bad. He was going to be miserable while they waited for their teammates to return. They were diving the wreckage of a smuggler's yacht that had gone down near Shark's Cove. This time of day it was only about a thirty-foot dive. When the tide came in it would be deeper. Chin didn't expect them back for a while. They were both diving enthusiasts and if he knew either of them at all, he was sure they would drag it out and have some fun. This cove was known for its lava tubes and caves. Steve and Kono were going to determine if the yacht sank as a result of foul play or not. They were also looking for illegal substances.

Kono smiled to herself as she swam down toward the wreckage. She would look up every once in awhile towards the water's surface. She loved the way the sun's rays sparkled down into the water. What a great day! She loved her job when it came to this kind of stuff. She knew Steve did too. She turned to look at him and he gave her a wave and a thumbs-up. Yep. He was having as much fun as she was. Kono saw a series of caves down and to the left and she nudged Steve and pointed. A smile spread across his face around his regulator.

Oh man, this was going to be fun. They could explore for a bit before they returned to the surface. They spotted the wreck right away. It had settled near the opening to a cave. It was still very much intact, so why did it sink? It wasn't until they swam around to the other side that they saw the gaping hole. Well, that explained it, but what made the hole? Steve pulled out his writing tablet and scribbled.

'Could it have been a cannon ball?'

He grinned as she read what he wrote and she laughed into her hose making tons of bubbles. She swam closer to him, took the tablet and wrote.

'Very funny, but I'm thinking more like a surface to air missile. Where would they get one of those?'

Steve bumped her arm as he wrote.

'That's a good question. Let's take a look inside.'

They swam up to the deck and entered the first level of the yacht. They didn't spot anything unusual there except for the fact that it was really richly decorated. These guys had money. After finding nothing upstairs, they turned on their flashlights and descended to the sleeping cabins. A search of each room turned up nothing. Kono swam into the last room, the captain's berth. It was a much larger room and it was amazing. She froze when her flashlight swept across a chair. There was a man tied in it. He looked like he had been tortured and his wide-eyed stare caught Kono by surprise. She had seen dead people before, but this was different. It just seemed so surreal to find him like that just slightly floating. She could feel herself panicking a little bit and she turned to get Steve. She found herself in his arms as he had joined her in the cabin. His look was calming and she settled down as she came down from the adrenaline. His look asked her if she was okay and she nodded her head to let him know she was fine. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms for a minute. Even though she was wearing a wet suit, his touch helped her. He gave her one final pat on the arm and pushed away to swim over to the guy.

Steve pulled his small camera out of his fanny pack and snapped a picture of the guy. He would have Chin run the guy through the system and see what they came up with. He pulled out his board again.

'Let's finish here and get back on the surface so we can get started tracking these guys. They got away except for our friend. You okay?'

Kono shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head. Steve rested his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. He knew how she was feeling. The sight had startled him too. They made their way down into the last level of the yacht and shone their flashlights around what was left of the engineering room. What they found shocked them both. Wrapped in plastic was what looked like several pounds of explosives. What was even more startling was there was a line leading from it out through the gaping hole in the side of the boat. Someone had been back to the wreckage before them. Steve motioned for Kono to follow the line. They swam through the hole and along the line through the water. Kono got a sinking feeling in her stomach when she saw the line leading into the cave they had spotted. What if they weren't alone down there? Kono had never confronted a criminal underwater before. She would have to trust Steve's Seal training to get them out of this if they had to confront anyone. Once inside the cave, the line seemed to go one forever. It was at least 200 feet long. When they finally reached the end, Steve turned and looked at her with a surprised expression on his face. It was attached to a detonator. There was no clock on the detonator, so they had no idea how long they had to get out of the cave and out of the water before it blew. They were worried about the guys on the surface as well. There was no way to know if the blast would reach them and damage or sink the boat. Steve turned to Kono and cupped either side of her facemask so she would focus on him. He had never touched her like that before. He looked tenderly at her and Kono realized they were in real trouble. He held up the tablet and wrote.

'Two choices. Make break for surface. Go deeper into cave. Hope to find another way out.'

Kono took the tablet, but before she could respond. Everything around them began to shake. Steve grabbed her with an arm around her waist.

The water muffled the sound of the explosion, but they could feel the shock wave and see the cave disintegrating behind them. Steve turned Kono, pushing her forward deeper into the cave. Then the repercussion of the blast hit them and pushed them both forward. Steve tried desperately to hold onto Kono, but they were pushed apart and tumbled deeper and deeper into the cave. Steve tried to avoid colliding with the walls and hoped the same was true for Kono. He couldn't see her as he felt himself tossed around like a small toy. He felt himself being pushed forward for what seemed like minutes when he suddenly surfaced to find himself in a dome shaped underwater cavern. For the moment he was safe and he had found air, but where was Kono?


	2. Chapter 2

Cave

Chapter Two

Zebraboymom

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. Humph!

Author Notes: Thanks for the reviews guys. I love them so much and you are all so faithful to write them. When I start a story I am always committed to finishing it and I promise to never leave you hanging for too long. I try to get an update done every day unless something comes along to disrupt my schedule. Again, I live to read the reviews and I write better for them. Now, on with the story. Trapped below the surface, Steve doesn't know what happened to Kono, Danny or Chin.

Steve looked all the way around the cavern for Kono, but she hadn't surfaced. Fear gripped him as he thought about her maybe being knocked unconscious and losing her regulator. He pulled his out of his mouth and yelled her name.

"Kono! Kono!"

He was so stupid. It was obvious she wasn't there. He put his regulator back in his mouth and dove back down into the murky water created by the blast to try and find her. He didn't have to go too far to find her swimming towards him with one arm. He saw blood in the water and realized her other arm was hurt. He reached for her then and slipped his arm around her waist pulling her through the water as he reached out with his free arm. She used her good arm and together they were able to make good time back to the cavern. When they broke surface, he pushed her up onto the cavern floor around the opening. He pulled himself out of the water and dumped his tanks off, then knelt to help her with hers. She was really favoring the arm and he tried to be gentle with her. He accidentally snagged her arm with the strap and she drew in a sharp breath and made a small, strangled noise. He felt terrible for hurting her more.

"What happened?"

"Uh, I think the explosives went off."

"No. I mean your arm. What happened?"

"I slammed into a rock pretty hard and the water forced me against it. It tore my wetsuit and my arm apparently. It hurts like crazy."

Blood was running quite freely out of the torn wetsuit fabric and Steve knew he needed to get it to stop bleeding before she passed out. He looked at her for permission and then slid her zipper down to her waist and eased the wetsuit off her shoulders so he could take a look. Her eyes never left his. He could see so much trust in them. He hoped he earned that trust. He watched her carefully as he did and he could tell by the way she was biting her bottom lip that it hurt having the fabric brush across it. She was trying to be really brave, but he could feel her shaking a bit from the pain and the loss of blood. Steve gently prodded the cut until she winced. It was pretty deep. Steve had to press on it to stop the bleeding and felt terrible as she sucked in her breath. His eyes went straight up to hers and a look passed between them. Before Kono had time to think about what it might mean, Steve spoke.

"I'm hurting you."

"A bit, but I know you have to stop the bleeding. Is it deep?"

"Pretty deep."

He paused because he didn't know how to tell her. He knew she would want the truth.

"Kono, I'm going to have to put a few stitches in to stop the bleeding. We have no idea how long we're going to be trapped here and if you lose too much blood…"

"I get it. Don't tell me you have a first aid kit in that too."

"I do actually."

Steve reached in his fanny pack and pulled out a waterproof bag holding some ointment and dry gauze along with what looked like a needle and some thread. There were alcohol wipes and with a triumphant grin Steve fished out and held up a water proof band-aid.

"You are such a boy scout."

"Aren't you glad?"

"And you know how to suture. I remember you mentioned Seal training at Christmas when you were doing such a great job sewing Danny's costume. I guess it really does come in handy."

She was trying to lighten the moment, but Steve knew she was scared. He looked deeply into her eyes.

"Kono, I'm not going to lie to you about this. It's going to hurt like hell. I don't have any anesthesia, not even topical."

"Oh…okay. It is what it is, right? Let's just get it done before I chicken out."

"You? Chicken out? Never. I've never ever seen you walk away from a fight."

His voice became husky.

"That's what makes you so special."

Kono looked at his downcast face as he prepared the needle. He was genuinely concerned about her. She always knew Steve could be caring. She had seen him with victims time and time again. She had experienced it herself more than once. But the way he was treating her now made her feel something for him that she had never experienced before, deep affection. She found herself wondering about them and where their relationship might go. The thoughts made her cheeks flush. She hoped he would think it was just the pain.

When Steve had everything prepared, he looked up at her.

"Ready?"

She could only nod her head. He sat cross-legged and scooted up to her side facing her arm. He took the alcohol wipes and cleaned the cut as best he could. Kono tried not to cry and she was really proud of herself when she didn't. When the wound was ready he picked the needle back up from the bag.

"Hold onto my knee and when it starts to hurt too much feel free to squeeze me as hard as you need to. I mean it Kono. It's just you and me. No heroes here today. Scream, cry, do whatever it takes to get through this. It's just me and you."

Kono placed her hand tentatively on Steve's knee and took in a deep breath and blew it out.

"Go."

Steve knew he needed to work quickly so he pinched the skin up slightly and pushed the needle through before she knew what was happening. Kono's face was suddenly frozen in shock and she grabbed his knee so hard he thought **he **might scream. Her eyes filled with tears and they began to stream down her face, but she didn't scream. Steve started on the second stitch. She began to tremble and held onto his knee for dear life. He went to put in the last stitch and she finally broke down, sobbing softly and shaking violently. He finished quickly, putting the antibiotic cream on and the waterproof bandage over the wound. He could see her teeth chattering and knew she could be going into shock. He quickly unzipped his wetsuit so he could offer his body warmth and pulled her into his lap holding her tightly to his bare chest. She continued to cry for some time and he knew the pain had to be excruciating. His heart broke knowing what she had gone through. He held her close, rocking her gently. He stroked her hair and whispered softly to her.

"Shh. It's over. I've got you. It's all right now. I'm sorry I hurt you. I wouldn't want to hurt you for anything, Kono. You did good. You did so good, Sweetheart."

Kono's sobs began to subside and her breathing evened out again. She had her face buried in his neck and she hiccupped a few times trying to pull herself together. She didn't want Steve to think she was weak, but that was the worst pain she had ever experienced in her life. He was so warm. She settled into his embrace.

Steve held her close, being careful of her arm. She sighed, reveling in his touch. When she finally pulled back, he took his thumbs and wiped the tears off her cheeks. Her arm was throbbing, but his gentleness distracted her some from the pain.

"I'm sorry Steve."

"Are you kidding me? You were amazing. I've seen grown men; Navy Seals do much worse. I just hate that I was the one hurting you."

He brushed her hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek.

"Kono…I…"

"Steve…it's okay."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Kono could feel the warmth of his lips. She wondered what it would be like to feel them pressed to hers. He pulled back and looked into her eyes. She could tell he felt it too. They were so drawn to each other. She moved ever so slightly towards him and he did the same. Before she knew what was happening, he kissed her softly, gently, tenderly. She sighed and slipped her good arm up around his neck. He continued to explore her mouth ever so slowly. It was sweet and loving. If he was doing all this to distract her from the pain, it was definitely working. When he finally pulled his lips from hers, he dropped his forehead to touch hers and breathed in and out for a minute. Kono did the same.

"Okay, this, whatever it is, and believe me it is wonderful, will have to be revisited and soon, but in the meantime, we need to get out of here. The water has settled from the blast, so I'm going to swim back towards the entrance and see if there are any openings big enough for us to get out of. You stay here and try to stay warm."

Steve slipped back into his wetsuit and gently assisted Kono as she slipped hers back on. He zipped it up for her, staring deeply into her eyes as he did. He couldn't help himself; he placed one more sweet kiss to her lips and then slipped his tanks on and was gone before Kono could argue.

She suddenly felt so tired. She scooted back to the rock wall and leaned against it closing her eyes. She thought about the kiss and about Steve and how everything had changed in an instant. Maybe it was just the tenseness of the moment. What if Steve already regretted it? She tried to keep her eyes open, but she felt herself slipping from consciousness. Why was she so tired all of a sudden? She knew her feelings for Steve were real. They had been building for some time now, but what about him? Was he just reacting out of a need to protect her or was he feeling the same way she was? They would definitely have to talk and soon. She wished he would hurry back. She needed him there with her, holding her. What was going on? She had never felt this tired before in her life. She felt very heavy. With one last thought about the kiss, Kono slipped into unconsciousness. Her head dropped down onto her chest and she passed out.


	3. Chapter 3

Cave

Chapter Three

Zebraboymom

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. Sniffle sniffle sniffle.

Author Notes: Your reviews make me so happy when I read them. Thanks, thanks, thanks. So what's happening on the surface with Danny and Chin?

Chin walked over to the side of the boat and looked in the direction he had last seen Kono and Steve disappear into the water. They had to have reached the wreck by now. He wondered if they had found anything. He knew they were probably having a blast. They were both so adventurous. It was cute to watch their eyes light up at the same time when they got an opportunity to do this kind of thing. They really fit together. Anyone who knew them could see it. That is everyone except for them. He smiled to himself thinking some day soon they would realize it too.

Chin glanced over at Danny. He was lying down under the over hang in the shade. He had his arm thrown across his eyes and he would groan from time to time. So far, he had thrown up twice. Poor guy. They really needed to remember he was a mainlander from now on and ease him into this kind of stuff slowly.

Danny suddenly sat straight up as a deep booming sound echoed up from below and the water around them began to heavily rock the boat.

"What the hell was that?"

Chin looked at him with more fear than Danny had ever seen.

"Something blew up!"

"Do you think it was the yacht? Why?"

"I don't know!"

Chin jumped on the radio and called first the Coast Guard and then the governor. He sent out a mayday with their coordinates to the Coast Guard and told the governor what happened. She vowed to give him as much help as possible. He hated telling her that Steve and Kono were still unaccounted for. Pieces of debris were starting to float to the surface. He prayed no bodies floated up. He loved his cousin like a sister and Steve had come to be a close friend. He handed Danny the radio and started putting on his wetsuit and gear. He saw the look on Danny's face at being left alone on the boat.

"You'll be fine until the coast guard gets here. These are our coordinates again, if they should have other boats radio in, you give them those numbers. I have to get down there. You understand, right?"

Danny did. He was already thinking what it would mean to lose two of the closest friends he had in this world.

"Find them Chin."

"I'll do my best."

Chin dropped over the side and began to swim down through the murky water. He had to avoid the pieces of debris that were still floating up to the surface now that the yacht was obviously in pieces. In his heart he knew that if Steve and Kono had been in the yacht when it blew they were most likely dead. He could only hope they swam away from the yacht before it did. The more likely scenario was that they had triggered the blast somehow and they were gone. Chin shook his head to clear the tears forming in his eyes so he could see the bottom.

On the surface Danny stood looking at the debris as it surfaced. He knew it was pieces of the yacht. It was so obvious. Steve and Kono must have dived into a trap. He was so angry. He wanted to punch something. His heart wouldn't accept what his head knew. They were probably dead. He looked all around. If he saw their bodies float to the surface it was going to kill him. He swiped at the tears forming in his eyes. The Coast Guard was coming and he couldn't loose it right now. He had to remain professional. How could he when he might never hear Steve call him Danno again or look at Kono's dimple filled smile? He always thought the two of them were cute together. The way their eyes had sparkled at the thought of diving together. There was definitely something there. They were made for each other. He had to admit having a bit of a crush on her himself, but knew Steve was the better match. Besides, he was still helplessly in love with his ex-wife.

His breaths caught in his throat when he finally saw what looked like a body come up. It had lost some parts and had ropes and pieces of wood caught in the ropes. It didn't make sense. If it was Steve, where were his scuba tanks? The body rolled in the waves and Danny caught sight of his face, it was a mess, but it wasn't Steve. Maybe they were still alive. Danny held onto hope, but it was hard.

Chin reached the bottom and what he saw made him sick. The yacht was totally blown apart. What bits of it remained were scattered across the ocean floor for yards and yards. There wasn't anything left of any size. There was no sign of Steve or Kono. Even if they had been caught in the blast, there would have been some kind of remains. Right? It's like they just disappeared. He looked to his left and saw rocks continuing to slide down near the wreck. The blast had disturbed a rock formation. Was it possible they had somehow found a cave or lava tube to escape into? How would they have had time to react if it was a trap? Chin didn't care that it sounded implausible. He chose to hope that they had escaped and possibly become trapped in a cave-in when the blast occurred. He swam around the pile of rocks searching for an opening of any kind. He couldn't find one. He tried to lift one of the rocks out of the way, but they were too large and heavy. They would need big equipment. He didn't even want to entertain the idea that they could be trapped underwater with their air running out or worse, buried beneath all that rock. He headed for the surface. They were going to need help and fast. Between the two of them, they had maybe 2-3 hours left of air. Chin prayed that the Coast Guard would respond quickly.

When he reached the surface, Danny was anxiously leaning over the back of the boat. The look of relief on his face was quickly replaced with a somber look when only Chin came up out of the water.

"Any sign of them?" 

"No."

"Could you have missed them?" 

"Trust me when I say there's nothing left to search."

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

"There's a dead body floating over there. Well, most of one. It's not Steve or Kono. So…they're dead then?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

"What do you mean?"

"I know I'm grasping at straws, but I have a theory…"

Danny patted Chin on the back.

"I'll entertain any idea that doesn't include our best friends being dead. What about you?"

"Then we're on the same page."

Author Notes: Sorry this one is short. I thought I'd leave them to work things out. I want to get back down below and see about Kono. Don't you?


	4. Chapter 4

Cave

Chapter Four

Zebraboymom

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. Not Fair!

Author Notes: You guys are just the best. You keep me in reviews while I'm writing. I love it. I felt guilty that the last chapter was so short, so I worked this afternoon to post this one today instead of tomorrow. Back to our story. As the tide starts to come in, Steve and Kono wonder if the cave will flood. They contemplate what could happen when their air runs out.

Steve swam back down the tunnel until he came to what he feared he would find. There was a solid wall of rock where the entrance to the cave had once been. The explosives had not only blown up the yacht, but the rocks nearby. It was darker here than it was back in the cave, so there had to be light getting into where they were somewhere. Maybe there was another way out. They would have to look for it on their own. They had seen the cave opening on the way down. Anyone coming down now wouldn't even know there had been one. They might assume the two of them were blown up in the blast or covered in debris. Chances were they would stop searching for them soon. He was so mad at himself for not taking a radio or communication system with them down there. It had seemed like such a simple investigation with no potential danger. Instead he may have sentenced himself and Kono to death. He found himself breaking down just thinking about Kono. He knew he felt something for her that he had suppressed until now. He couldn't bring himself to admit it until today, but he had fallen in love with this exotic beauty that was an enigma to him. She was so lithe, so beautiful and yet such a tomboy and a bad ass at the same time. He had never known a woman quite like her and he wanted so much to have her feel the same way about him. If they were going to die he wanted her to at least know how he felt. He wanted to hold her and kiss her and man was he over the moon right now. Pull yourself together. He knew he needed to get back to Kono. He hated that he had to give her such bad news. She had already been through enough. She was incredible when he sewed up her arm. How she withstood the pain so well, he couldn't fathom. All he knew was that she amazed him at every turn. She was fearless to the core. For the first time in his life he had met his match in every way. She knew as much high technology as he did. She was tactical, brilliant, caring with victims, tough as nails and could handle herself in a fight without question. He wondered if she could take him down? She was the female version of him only better.

He turned and swam back to her as fast as he could. He wanted to hold her in his arms again and be sure she was okay for now. They would find a way out. They just had to. He also hoped Chin and Danny didn't give up on them. They were his two best male friends since he had left the Seals and he knew he could count on them. He was just sure they wouldn't quit until they knew his and Kono's fates.

He was back at the cavern and he surfaced, pulling off his mask, regulator and tanks and shoving them on the cavern floor. He went to pull himself out of the water and looked for Kono. She was slumped over, but it didn't look like she was asleep. He lunged over the side onto the floor. He should never have left her. He rushed to her side and scooped her up in his arms, holding her in his lap, her head cradled to his chest.

"Kono! Kono, wake up!"

He shook her gently trying not to jostle her arm. She didn't respond. He started to panic.

"Kono!"

He lifted her face to his, cradling her cheek in his palm.

"Please, Kono. Wake up for me, Honey."

She looked so pale, but he felt her stir lightly. He hugged her to him and stroked her hair. 

"Come on. That's my girl. You're okay."

Her eyelids fluttered and then she finally opened them to look up at him.

"Thank God, you're okay. You scared me to death."

"Sorry. I just passed out. It was the weirdest thing."

Kono became fully aware that Steve was holding her in his arms again. She searched his face and realized his eyes were brimming with tears. They began to spill out over his cheeks. She reached up and thumbed them away.

"Steve..."

"I…I thought you were dead for a minute."

He hugged her close and buried his face in her hair, embarrassed that she had seen him cry. Now it was her time to comfort him.

"It's okay, Steve. No heroes here. Remember?"

Steve could only nod and hold her gently in his arms. He wanted to stay just like this, but he knew he had to tell her the truth of their predicament. He held her for a moment and then pulled back.

"Kono, I wish I had better news. The entrance to the cave is totally blocked. The only way out of here is going to have to be from here. We need to check and see if there are any exits from this room. There's light coming from somewhere so I am hoping that means this leads to other passageways that will eventually lead us out of here."

"And if there aren't?" 

"Then we have to hope that Chin and Danny have been hunting for a way to rescue us. That's if they believe we're still alive."

"I'm scared Steve."

"Me too."

"What happens when the tide starts to come in if we can't find a way out?"

"Let's worry about that when it happens. Besides, depending upon how high up we swam from the entrance of the cave, we might be able to stay above water level. The problem is we have no supplies, so if we don't get out of here soon, we'll starve or die of thirst."

"Gee, tell me the bad news."

"High tide will start in a couple of hours. I'm going to have to let you go and start exploring the cavern."

"I can help."

"No, I want you to save your strength. Okay? I won't be long."

He gave her a quick hug and settled her carefully back against the wall. Standing up he let his hand brush her cheek affectionately. He turned his flashlight back on and walked carefully around the perimeter. When he came to a spot where he couldn't go further around the opening made by the water, he would shine his flashlight across the rock. Nothing in that direction. He passed by Kono heading around the other way.

"Anything?"

"Not yet."

This part was much larger and there were actually several short passageways leading off the main cavern. He took them one at a time, but they were all dead ends. He didn't know how he was going to tell Kono. He didn't have to. She knew as soon as she saw his face.

"No luck, huh?"

Steve slid down next to her and sighed.

"This is so not what I had thought today was going to be like."

"I know. I was really looking forward to diving with you, Steve. I like spending time with you."

"Me too. We have so much in common. You're easy to be with Kono."

"Thanks. You are too. So, now what do we do?"

Steve began scanning the ceiling and upper walls of the cavern. Several openings above them seemed promising. Steve didn't want to get her hopes up, but it was probably their only possible escape. After looking at the wall created by the blast, he didn't see any way Danny and Chin could clear it and find them in time.

"There may be a passageway higher up the walls. Look."

Steve shone the flashlight on a couple of the openings along the sides of the cavern above. One in particular seemed to be where the small amount of light was coming from. The question was whether or not it was big enough to swim through.

"As the water rises we'll have to float up and hope that's another way out."

Kono's eyes got big.

"What if there isn't?'

Steve turned to her then. He was silent, but he never took his eyes off her. Kono could feel herself tearing up again. Steve cupped her cheek.

"We'll eventually run out of air in our tanks and we'll die or if the cavern doesn't fill completely, we'll try to hold out as long as we can."

"Steve. It's going to take at least 3 hours for the tide to start going back down. We each have a little over an hour of air in our tanks. Why prolong the inevitable?"

"Don't talk like that. We have to fight this. We can stretch it out by sharing one tank between us. Please don't give up."

"I promise I won't. There's always hope, right?"

Kono looked at Steve and she finally broke. The tears started to run down her face.

"Oh, Kono. Come here."

Steve held out his arms, pulled her into his lap and held her close. She laid her head on his shoulder. He fought back tears as he combed his hands through her hair trying to calm her. Eventually they both gained control. They sat like that for a long time just drawing strength from each other's closeness.

"Any regrets?"

"Yeah. I wish I could have told Chin and my grandmother good-bye. What about you?"

"Yes, two. That I didn't catch the man who killed my dad."

"And the other one?"

Steve knew he might never have another chance to tell her this.

"That I never told you that I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you."

"Steve…"

"Kono…"

He pressed his lips to hers. Kono gave everything to the kiss. Steve had just told her he loved her and she wanted him to know she felt the same way. She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes.

"I…I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you too."

Had they really just said that to each other? Steve thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest.

"Kono, I want to feel you."

He reached up and unzipped her wet suit as she unzipped his. They both slipped out of the sleeves. Steve helped Kono avoid hurting her arm and then they wrapped their arms around each other again. The human contact felt so good. They spent the next two hours kissing and talking and caressing each other.

"Tell me something about yourself that you've never told anyone."

Kono thought for a minute.

"Okay, the day I met you on the beach. My hand hurt so bad from decking that guy, that when you shook my hand, I almost cried, but I was determined that you wouldn't see my weakness."

"And now?" 

"There's no heroes here, remember?"

Steve took her hand and gently lifted it to his lips and kissed it.

"Okay, your turn."

"Well, that day when you came walking out of the water, I thought, Oh my God. She's gorgeous, but there's no way she belongs on this team. Then you took that guy out and it took everything I had not to laugh. I was hooked on you from that day. Those feelings have only gotten stronger the longer we've worked together. Okay, something else."

"I hate Spam and I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

"Me too! See, we were meant for each other."

They were lost in each other's eyes for a minute.

"I'm going to kiss you some more."

"You better."

They cuddled up and laughed about where they would go for their first date and what they would do. Steve officially asked her out for the first night after they got out of there, when they got out of there he qualified his statement. Then the water started to rise. They regretted having to let go of each other, but they needed to get ready. They stood up and got dressed again. Steve carefully pulled Kono's wetsuit on for the final time and he zipped her up then slipped his hands around the back of her neck. He leaned down and gave her one more mind-altering kiss.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

They slipped their air tanks on as the water became waist deep. Steve pointed to the large opening about halfway up the wall where the light seemed to be coming from.

"Let's try that one first."

"Okay, I'll follow you. I trust you Steve."

They looked at each other for what might be the last time. Both were happy that they did so with no regrets about things left unsaid. Steve ran his hand through Kono's hair.

"No backing out on our date, no matter what."

Kono caught his hand in hers, kissed his palm and looked tenderly back at him.

"Same goes for you. I've never been stood up on a date."

"I pity the fool that ever did."

The water was really surging in now. Steve wondered if the tide might have dislodged some of the rocks blocking the entrance. He had thought the blockage would slow down the water coming in. He didn't have time to think about it anymore. They had to kick their feet and tread water. They were almost even with the opening and the water was still rising. Steve looked down the passageway. It did look promising. There seemed to be lighter further up. Suddenly a huge surge of water pushed both of them through the opening as it completely filled up with water and they realized there was no turning back. Steve just prayed it wasn't sweeping them to a dead end and certain death.


	5. Chapter 5

Cave

Chapter Five

Zebraboymom

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. What is up with that?

Author Notes: Will Steve and Kono find a way out? Will Danny and Chin figure out a way to rescue them? Will there be more romance in this chapter? Read on!

Danny and Chin watched as several divers surfaced at once. There were three Coast Guard boats surrounding them now and they had been diving the wreckage for the last hour. The head of the Coast Guard Team was on the boat with Danny and Chin. He motioned for one of the divers to get in the boat with them.

"What do you think Dave?"

"Sir, I don't think they were killed in the blast. The fact that the dead guy surfaced means we would have found some…"

He looked at Chin and Danny's faces.

"We would have found some body parts. Plus we found the remains of a line that may have been leading to a detonator. They must have triggered some kind of timer when they entered the yacht or maybe when they examined the detonator if they got that far. It ends where there may have been a cave entrance at one time. My guess is they followed it into the cave. The only question is did they get far enough in to survive the blast or are they buried under the rubble? There's no way to tell."

Chin thought for a minute.

"What if they did survive the blast? Isn't it possible they could come out somewhere else? These tubes and caves are like a honeycomb. Shouldn't we send some divers to check it out? Maybe they are somewhere lost in the cave system."

"Let's also hope they found a pocket of air somewhere. There are a lot of spots like that down there. If not, they've run out of air by now. "

Danny spoke up.

"Let's go with they found a pocket of air scenario. I don't want to even think about the alternative."

"We better find them soon. The tide is coming in and that will mean most of those pockets of air will disappear."

"Okay, let's pull the divers who aren't working on the cave entrance and send them to explore the caves surrounding it."

Danny and Chin exchanged a look. Their friends just had to be okay. There was no other acceptable outcome.

They watched as divers began to drop off the other boats. Chin put his tanks back on as well.

"I'm going down with the others. I can't just sit here and wait." 

"I wish I could dive now."

"We'll find them Danny."

The passageway Steve and Kono were being pushed through was getting wider, not narrower. It was also getting lighter. The push of the water ebbed and they found themselves swimming side by side. Steve could tell Kono was struggling with her arm. He slowed to stay by her. They were going up, this made Steve hopeful that they would reach the surface. The light was pouring in now and Steve looked up to see the tunnel ceiling disappearing and open water above them. He reached for Kono and pointed. They kicked their fins and started to ascend. As they did four divers met them coming down. One of them was Chin and he went to hug Kono. She jerked when he grabbed her arm. Steve gestured to the arm and Chin pulled back to look at it. His face looked relieved and worried at the same time. They kicked hard and reached the surface fairly fast. They pulled their masks off and took out their regulators as one of the divers signaled a boat over.

"I have never been so happy to see two people in my entire life."

"We're just as happy to see you, Cuz."

"Danny is a nervous wreck. We better pick him up before we head to shore. What happened to you? Were you shot? Stabbed?"

"We'll explain everything later. Right now we need to get her to a hospital and get her arm looked at."

The boat pulled alongside and they climbed in. Steve helped Kono in, being careful of her arm. He took the blanket one of the Coast Guard handed them and wrapped her up in it, sitting as close to her as possible. He placed his arm around her waist in a protective way. Chin sat across from them and noticed the physical proximity of the two. Something had definitely changed between them. They couldn't take their eyes off of each other. This story was really going to be interesting. He had to admit though, his cousin fairly glowed and there had to be a reason for that. He suspected it was one tall ex-Navy Seal.

When they reached the boat with Danny on it, he jumped in quickly and rushed them both.

"Thank God you're okay."

He went to hug them, but Steve stuck his arm out protectively.

"Watch out. Kono's hurt."

"It's nothing. I just ran into a rock that had it in for me. Steve fixed me up. I'll be fine."

"Maybe so, but you were the one who was all Xena: Warrior Princess. You blew me away, Kono."

"Yeah, but you went all Navy Seal. I could have bled to death if it weren't for you."

The love fest continued back and forth for a minute and Chin and Danny exchanged a knowing look.

"Sounds like you two had a pretty amazing time down there. Let's start at the beginning okay?"

Steve and Kono filled the rest of the boat ride with the story as told in stereo. They were so obviously into each other, Chin almost chuckled a couple of times. Danny on the other hand kept baiting them and teasing them. They were back to shore before the final part of the story. There was an ambulance waiting at the dock and the four of them all piled into the back of it. No one dared question it. Kono sat on the gurney. She refused to lie down and sat facing her three men as they were whisked away to the hospital. The story continued in the ambulance until it got to the part where the two of them sort of made out for an hour or more. They stumbled over their words and Danny saw it as the perfect opportunity for some fun.

"So, what did you do while you waited for the tide to come in? It must have been boring down there with nothing to do and you both must have been thinking this could be it. We could die down here. Were there any last minute confessionals? Declarations? Anything?"

A silent conversation was going on between Steve and Kono.

"Uh. None that we care to share at this time."

"Yeah, what happens in the cave, stays in the cave."

"Okay, but we will find out eventually, right Chin?"

"He's right, Cousin. You have never been able to keep anything from me. I have my ways."

Kono blushed a deep red and Chin knew they were on shaky ground. She had real feelings for Steve. He decided they should drop it." 

"Okay, when you're ready."

The stay at the hospital was not too long. They stitched Kono up with actual sutures and removed Steve's handiwork. He hovered over the doctor the entire time. It was all he could do not to touch her. He had to cross his arms across his chest to keep from doing it. Danny and Chin winced at the thought that Kono had been through this once already without an anesthetic. Kono said she was sad to see Steve's stitches go. They had quite literally saved her life, but this way her scarring would be minimal. The doctor made her take a pain pill and start on an antibiotic.

Danny radioed for transportation back to headquarters and when they arrived the governor was waiting for them.

"Steve and Kono. I'm so glad you're both okay. You two will do anything to steal a day of diving won't you? You look exhausted dear. I think stitches are grounds for the rest of the day off. Don't you Commander?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"You too Commander. I don't want either of you back here until tomorrow. Chin and Daniel can start the background work on this yacht and its owners. Now get going you two."

Steve and Kono shrugged at Danny and Chin and left quickly. They didn't want the governor changing her mind. As soon as they got out of the building, Steve reached for Kono's hand. She twined her fingers with his and smiled. They walked right past her jeep and climbed into his without saying a word. Steve turned onto the Coast highway and they drove for a while just enjoying the ocean and the beach. Kono's pain pill finally kicked in and she fell asleep. Steve chuckled to himself and pulled onto the road leading to his house. He parked and walked around to her side. She was out like a light. He took his stairs two at a time and opened his front door. He went to his bedroom and pushed the window open so there was a comfortable breeze and then folded back the light covers. He went back to the jeep, gently unbuckled Kono's seat belt and lifted her into his arms. She snuggled under his chin and Steve smiled to himself as he carried her into his bedroom. How did he get so lucky as to have this gorgeous, amazing woman in his life? He settled her in the bed, slipped her shoes off and covered her lightly. He lay down on top of the covers and rolled on his side to look down at her. She immediately snuggled up to him in her sleep. He just stayed there watching her for a long time. She was so cute. He thought about how he almost lost her today. Who knows how long they would have continued to dance around their feelings if they hadn't gotten trapped? He said a small vow to himself that he would never hold anything back from her again. He brushed her hair away from her face and traced her jaw line with his fingers. He sighed and settled one arm above her head, stroking his fingers slowly through her hair. He couldn't resist settling the other one softly across her stomach. As his eyes started to droop he thought about everything he would say to her once she was awake. They would have their date tomorrow night. Tonight she needed to rest and his need to protect her and take care of her was so strong it scared him a little. He had never felt this way about a woman before. Besides, they needed to rest up. Tomorrow they would catch the bad guys. Hopefully.


	6. Chapter 6

Cave

Chapter Six

Zebraboymom

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. Why, God, why?

Author Notes: Sorry guys. I know I usually post every day, but life has been crazy for the last three days. I will make it extra long to make up for the missed days. I'm trying to decide how much to pack into this chapter. Things are going to get dangerous as they pursue the smugglers after finding out the identity of the man in the chair.

Kono woke up in the middle of the night. It was getting a bit cool in the room. Wait. What room? The last thing she remembered was driving down the Coast Highway looking at the beach and her ocean. She had called it her ocean since she was a little girl. Now she was lying in bed with a very warm body cuddled around her. Steve literally had her enveloped in his arms. She sighed. This was totally unexpected and wonderful. She tried not to move and wake him, so she lay as still as she could and just enjoyed the sensations. His arms were so strong. She could feel his muscles as he held her close. His cheek was pressed to her forehead. She could feel him stretch as he sensed that she was awake. He sighed and nuzzled her with his nose. His voice was rough from sleep.

"It's the middle of the night, you know."

"I know. It's just, I think we slept all evening and most of the night. My body just said, wake up. Besides, nature calls. I wish it didn't though. I liked waking up in your arms."

"So, go. I'll be right here when you get back."

He planted a kiss on her cheek and pushed her gently to the edge of the bed.

"Okay, count to twenty and I'll be right back."

Kono went as fast as she could and took a quick glance in the mirror. She had that disheveled bed head look. Oh, well, better for Steve to see her like this now and get it over with. She turned the light off and opened the door into the darkened room. She had expected to see Steve just like he said, But he was gone.

"Steve?"

Nothing. She walked from room to room searching for him.

"Steve!"

"Out here!"

Kono walked out of the house and down the small grass slope that lead to the beach. Steve was reclining on a chaise lounge near the water. The moon danced across the waves. As she approached, he held his arms open for her. She sat down between his legs. He covered them both with a light blanket and wrapped his arms around her.

"I come out here a lot at night when I can't sleep. Watching the ocean makes me sleepy after a bit and I'm able to."

"I like knowing that about you. I have the same problem sometimes."

"What do you do about it?"

"I take a blanket and go lie on the beach."

"Does it scare you a little that we're so similar?"

Kono thought for a moment.

"No, it's comforting. I've never been so comfortable in a relationship before."

"Really?"

She turned in his arms and looked at him.

"Yes, really."

"I like that. Come here, you."

He pulled her higher in his arms and kissed her sweetly.

They both faced the sea again and in a short time they fell asleep. The next thing they knew, the sun was coming up over the horizon. It was beautiful.

After watching it rise fully above the horizon, they took turns grabbing showers. Afterwards, Steve ran Kono by her house so she could change clothes and then they headed to work.

As Steve backed out of his drive, he took Kono's hand in his, gave it a light kiss and settled their joined hands on his knee, only moving them to shift together and return them to his knee. Kono grinned at the romantic gesture.

On the way to headquarters, Danny called and said to meet at the Coroner's Office. The coroner had identified the man from the yacht and wanted to see the four of them alone. Steve pulled up in front of the building and let go of Kono's hand as they hopped out.

"Why wouldn't he just call one of us to come in? Something is up. That's for sure."

Kono nodded. When they entered the building Danny and Chin were sitting together drinking coffee in the lobby. Both men's eyebrows went up at them arriving together. Steve decided to ignore the looks. They made their way to the lab. Once inside, the coroner spilled his news.

"Meet what is left of Agent Ben Kingston."

"FBI Agent?"

"Yep. Special task force too. "

"So why the secrecy?"

"Because I told him to be discrete."

The governor walked into the room.

"Governor, what's going on here?"

"I brought Agent Kingston here to look into rumors of dirty cops in the department. Seems local smugglers have men on the inside. I wanted proof. Apparently, I have it. Kingston was posing as a smuggler and he gave me this list of names right before he was supposed to confirm all of them. He was at a meeting on that yacht to do just that. I want to use your team because you aren't part of the regular force and I trust all of you completely."

"What do you want us to do?"

"Follow these guys. Get the evidence we need and bring them down. I want an air tight case against them Commander."

"You'll have it Governor. No one wants them more than us. Believe me. The fact that they're cops makes it even more important. We'll keep you posted."

They spent the entire morning running down leads. Steve had Kono post pictures of the three men on the screen.

"Kono, ran the men's cell phone activity and they have all three been calling each other and a fourth number for several days now. Chin has been dogging one of them all morning and he just called. The guy he was following met up with the other two for lunch. The three of them are walking down a gangplank to another yacht tied up in Pearl Harbor. Let's go."

"Twenty minutes later they met Chin in a parking lot near the slip where the yacht was moored."

Danny pulled out surveillance equipment and they all listened in on the conversation.

"I think it's time we cut our losses and take a trip down to someplace down Mexico way. After what happened to those Five-0 team members we could already be on their radar. We were stupid to think we could just get rid of Kingston and be fine."

"I am not giving up a sweet operation like this before we have to."

"I'm telling you they probably already know who Kingston is. One of the guys involved in the clean up of our little bomb blast said they found his body in the blast debris. So much for destroying evidence. He said we almost killed two officers that were investigating the wreckage. I say we clear out now. I'm not staying to collect some stupid cop pension. We can start the same thing in Mexico we had here and do even better."

Steve turned to the team. "We have enough. Let's move in."

The four partners converged on the yacht. They had already discussed how they would take the boat. Kono walked down the gangplank swishing her hips back and forth. Danny's jaw dropped and Steve gave him a warning look and pushed his head in a different direction.

"Keep your eyes in your head, Danno."

Kono played the guard at the gate that lead onto the yacht. He swaggered up the gangplank to the gate when he saw Kono coming. She was really laying it on thick. Steve had no idea she could be so seductive.

"Is this the Saint Sarah's Sin?"

"What's that, a party boat?"

"Oh, it's way more than a party boat. Oh, now would you look at that. I think I broke a strap. Kono leaned way over to pretend to buckle the sandal on the shoes she was wearing. She had on a short sundress and the guard was leaning over trying to get a peak. Steve went under the gangplank and climbed silently up behind him and took him out before he knew what hit him. Kono grinned at him and slipped out of the heels. She reached under her skirt and pulled out her gun. Steve was grinning from ear to ear.

"You are such a bad ass. I love it. I love you."

"Shh. Not now. Let's get these guys."

They gestured to Danny and Chin who joined them quickly. The four of them boarded the yacht and split up in different directions. Steve had radioed for back up, but they were going to go ahead in before the men had time to set sail.

Danny took the pilot's cabin just as he was beginning to make departure plans.

"Not so fast, buddy. Looks like your bosses are not going anywhere."

Steve, Chin and Kono quietly took out the other three guards they found on deck. Just as they were walking the men back to the back of the boat, one of them yelled out a warning and all hell broke loose.

One guy dove in the water, the other two turned on Chin and Kono as Steve burst into the room where the dirty cops were. He dove behind a couch when automatic gunfire split the room apart. The man Kono was trying to subdue took a direct hit from the gunfire as it broke out the windows of the ship. He acted like a shield and Kono wasn't hit. Chin had dived down when he heard it and he rolled the guy he had taken out off of himself. The two of them inched their way along the wall under the windows and when they heard Steve open up fire, they both rose up and fired as well. The gunfight went on for a couple of minutes and Kono was worried about Steve. At one point she didn't hear his gun being fired. She said a little prayer for his protection and just then heard someone grunt as they were hit. Chin took out one of the men and Kono took out the other one. They burst into the room to find Steve wrestling with the last man. Kono walked over to him and put her gun to his head.

"You're under arrest for the murder of Agent Ben Kingston and for trafficking in stolen merchandise. Put your hands up."

Steve, who was on his back on the floor, looked up at the guy and winked, then flipped him on his stomach and began handcuffing him. He snuck a peak at Kono as she reached back under her skirt and holstered her weapon. Oh man, did she look good. He wanted her to arrest him. She was so…sexy actually. It blew him away. Just as they were gathering the various men at the back of the boat, the calvary arrived. He watched the expression on the officer's faces as Kono passed by them with one of the bad guys. They were taking in this slim beauty wearing her cute little sundress. When they headed up the gangplank again Steve picked up her heels and handed them to her. She never put them back on. They swung carelessly from her hand as she walked back to their vehicles. That's my girlfriend, he thought.

The debriefing and booking took a while, so after briefly celebrating at HQ, Kono and Steve each made up a lame excuse to head out. They both had one thing on their minds; the date.

"Hey, you guys want to go grab a beer?" 

"Uh, thanks, but I've got plans." Kono slipped out first.

Steve waited for her to get a head start.

"Yeah, I gotta go too. I promised a friend we'd get together tonight."

"What friend? We're your friends. Wait a minute, Steve…"

Steve pushed the elevator button before Danny could get on. He headed out to the parking lot and climbed in his jeep to find Kono slumped down in the seat.

"Are you hiding?"

"Only until we're both ready to go public. I think a first date would be appropriate before we do that."

"I promised one and it will happen tonight. I can't wait."

Steve put the jeep in gear, grabbed her hand again and they were off. They arrived at Kono's around 5:00. Even though she was tired, she was excited about their date. She hopped out of the jeep and smiled at Steve.

"Where are we going tonight?"

"You ask way too many questions Miss Kalakaua. Dress casually, don't forget your swimsuit and I'll see you at 7:00. Be ready for anything."

"Just one little clue." Kono held onto the door of the jeep.

"Nope." Steve put the jeep in gear and started to slowly roll down her driveway.

"Come on, Steve." Kono ran her hand along his arm.

"Nice try. See you soon."

"Steve!"

Kono was laughing as she tried to keep up. He leaned out of the jeep and gave her one searing kiss and they broke apart as he gathered speed. She yelled after him.

"I will get you back Steve McGarrett. Count on it!"

Steve leaned out of the jeep and winked back at her.

"I hope so Kono Kalakaua. I hope so!"

Author Notes: Last Chapter coming up. The date!


	7. Chapter 7

Cave

Chapter Seven

Zebraboymom

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. Could I adopt them?

Author Notes: Final Chapter. Big Date. Gotta love it.

Kono put on her new lime green bikini. Steve had never seen her wear it. It made her dark skin look really tan. She slipped a pair of her favorite shorts over it and a matching cover up that hung off one shoulder. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She Kono Kalakaua, was going on her first date with Steve McGarrett. Her man. What a man! She wondered what he would be like on a first date. Would he be funny, romantic, quiet or talkative? One thing she wasn't worried about was the conversation part of the their date. They never ran out of things to talk about. They shared so many common interests that it scared her sometimes. He was darn near perfect for her as far as she could tell. She already couldn't imagine a life that didn't include Steve in every way. She wanted to wake up like she did yesterday, wrapped in his arms. She could see herself marrying this guy and she had more than once thought she would never marry, never find someone she would want to settle down with. Now she had met him.

Steve pulled up in front of Kono's place at 6:45. He had tried to stall for as long as he could, but he just couldn't wait any longer. He thought he could just sit in his jeep until 7:00. He wondered what she would be wearing and if she would like what he had planned. It hadn't been hard to choose what they would do. He wanted it to be memorable, but he didn't want to use up all his tricks the first time they went out. Pace yourself Steve. If he wowed her tonight, it was only down hill from there, except he wasn't worried. Any date with Kono was going to be fantastic. He had never met a woman that he felt so at ease with before. He loved spending time with her. It didn't matter if it was just standing in the parking lot after work. They always had fun. When Steve thought about it, he got a little scared. He was starting to think that Kono was the one. **The** one. The one woman he couldn't live without. The woman he wanted to marry and have cute little dimple faced babies with. He closed his eyes and smiled to himself, picturing Kono's little stomach round with his child. She would be adorable. He had never thought about wanting to get a woman pregnant before. He definitely had it bad for this girl.

Kono looked out her window when she heard Steve's jeep in the driveway. He was early. That meant he was anticipating the date as much as she was. She watched him out the window as he smiled to himself. He was lost in thought. What was he thinking about? He wasn't getting out, so she figured he must have been trying to honor the time they had set. Forget that! She was ready to spend time with him. She quietly opened the door and slipped out onto the porch. She stood watching the way he was lost in some daydream. The look on his face was so cute. What on earth was he grinning about?

Steve suddenly had that feeling that he was not alone and opened his eyes to see Kono staring at him from her porch. He must have looked ridiculous sitting there daydreaming about her. He jumped out of the jeep and came around to greet her.

"Wow! You look fantastic! You take casual to a whole new level."

"Thanks, you look pretty awesome yourself. Is that color electric blue?"

Steve looked down at his shirt. She noticed. He bought it just for her. He knew it was her favorite color.

"Yeah. You like it?"

Kono couldn't take her eyes from the patch of bare chest showing where the top two buttons were undone. He was so masculine in that moment. She had to curb the sigh she was holding in. 

"I love it."

"Sorry if I was too early. I just couldn't wait to see you Kono."

"I feel the same way. I've been watching for you out my window since 6:30. What were you thinking about? You were miles away."

Steve shrugged and dodged the question. He took her hand and gave her a light kiss on the lips, then walked her over to the jeep.

"Hungry?"

"Starving."

"You're always starving."

They both laughed. Kono could put away the same amount of food as any of the men on the team and yet she had an amazing figure. He knew it was all the surfing and working out she did. Two things they both loved to do.

"I'm taking you to my favorite restaurant in Waikiki first."

When they arrived, Kono was smiling from ear to ear.

"What's with the grin?"

"Duke's is my favorite restaurant too. Did Chin tell you? Can we sit out on the veranda and look at the ocean?"

"My plan exactly."

Steve placed his hand on the small of her back and led her into the restaurant. He checked in and gave the hostess their names and then took her hand as they sat down to wait for their table.

Kono looked around at the group of people waiting. She saw several women admiring Steve.

Steve was noticing the same looks from several men. Kono was easily the most beautiful woman in the restaurant. He dropped her hand and slipped his arm around her waist in a show of ownership. Better not let Kono know that was what he was thinking.

She smiled at him snuggling into his side. He used his other hand to pick up hers again and pressed it to his lips. Nothing could make a woman feel more wanted in that moment.

When they were seated and given menus Kono had to ask.

"Can we split a piece of Hula Pie for dessert?"

"Are you kidding? You can't come to Duke's without having Hula Pie."

The meal was outstanding, but watching the sunset into the ocean while holding each other's hands across the table was even better. As they sat splitting their yummy decadent chocolate macadamia nut extravaganza of a dessert, the Lilikoi Sisters, a staple at Duke's, arrived at their table to sing to them. They took one look at the way Steve and Kono were looking at each other and chose a romantic Hawaiian love song. Kono knew the words to the song and she sang softly along with them. She had a beautiful voice and Steve melted as he looked into her eyes. When the song was over they smiled at them. One of the sisters spoke up.

"You are a beautiful couple. You make beautiful babies. Mahalo."

Steve almost choked on his dessert. Kono eyed him suspiciously.

"What is so funny?"

"It's just…you asked me earlier what I was thinking about when I parked in front of your place. Okay, don't freak out on me, but…I was picturing you pregnant with my baby."

Kono's eyes went huge and she lost all ability to speak for a second. She blinked a couple of times. Was she choking on the dessert? Steve went to reach over and pat her back when she broke out into the most amazing smile he had ever seen on her face. She finally squeaked out one word.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Too much too soon?"

She was thoughtful for a minute and then she stood up and walked to his side of the table. He pushed his chair back as she approached and he was surprised when she sat down in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. She sighed and bent to give him the softest, sweetest kiss he had with her to date.

"That is the sweetest thing any guy has ever said to me, ever."

He looked deeply into her eyes. His voice came out gruff with emotion.

"Would you want to have babies with me Kono?"

She pulled him close and whispered in his ear.

"Lots of babies."

He held onto her fiercely.

"Let's get out of here. I want to take you one more place really special."

They walked to his jeep with their arms wrapped around each other. Steve wouldn't give Kono any clues about where they were going. He drove for a long time and when he parked, Kono looked uncertain. It was an empty parking lot in the forest at the foothills of the Koolau Mountains. It was really dark. Steve reached in the back of the jeep and grabbed a bag with towels and a blanket and a flashlight. He pulled a key out of his board shorts and unlocked a gate.

"We're going hiking in the dark?"

He locked the gate behind them and took her hand.

"Trust me?"

"Always."

"I promise you're gonna love this."

They held hands as they walked down a well-worn path through the rainforest. Some of the banyan trees they passed were huge. It was nice though. It was a warm night and the forest was nice and cool. After a while Kono could hear the sound of water.

"Steve, what is this place?"

Then they broke out of the trees and Kono saw the most beautiful sight lit by moonlight. It was a waterfall spilling over into a crystal clear pool of water. Steve reached down and opened up an electric box, flipping a switch. Soft lights surrounded the area and lit the waterfall. He set their things down and started stripping off his shirt.

"It's ours for the rest of the evening."

"Oh, Steve!"

He looked down at her smiling as he kicked off his shoes. She was standing looking at the waterfall and he stepped in behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.

"How did you get permission to use this place?"

"Old Navy buddy of mine runs the tours. I told him I wanted to bring my girl here. He asked me how serious was I about you and I said real serious. He handed over the keys and said have fun."

"Oh, Steve this is so amazing. Next date, I get to pay you back for this one, okay? I have a few amazing ideas up my sleeve, but this one tops them all."

Steve's hand wandered under her cover up to stroke across her soft stomach. He slowly lifted the top over her head and she undid her shorts, slipping them down her legs. Steve's breath caught when he looked at her in the soft light reflecting off the water.

"Wow, Kono. You're so beautiful."

She blushed and turned to face him.

"Thank you for this."

She slipped her arms around him for a hug, then without warning, she turned and dove in one smooth motion into the pool swimming for the waterfall. Steve dove in after her and they surfaced under the falling water. The water ran over both of them as they stood under it. It wasn't as deep right where the falls were and Steve pulled her body close to his. They both leaned their heads back and let the water wash over their faces and bodies. Steve thought he had never seen such an amazing sight. Kono could be a famous model for a photo shoot the way she looked in that moment. He looked back down at her and palmed her chin. He kissed her then, deeply and passionately. Kono sighed into the kiss and they both reached out with one hand to swim away from the fall into calmer water. They could touch bottom and so they just stood chest deep in the pool kissing each other. The moonlight spilled down on them and Kono thought it was the most romantic thing she had ever done. She finally pulled back for a breath.

"Wow! As first dates go, this is the best ever."

Steve looked deeply into her eyes and spoke with his heart wide open.

"Kono, I love you. I love you in a way that is deeper than I ever thought I could love a woman. You are everything to me. We can date for as long as you want, but one thing I know. You're it for me. No more looking. No other women for me, period. If that scares you, I'm sorry, but I just had to tell you."

Kono felt herself start to tear up.

"And you mean the world to me. No man can ever live up to you. You make me feel protected and cherished. Yeah, I know I can take care of myself, but that doesn't change the fact that I've always wanted someone in my life that totally and completely loved me. That's how I feel about you and now hearing you say the same thing to me is a dream come true. I love you, Steve. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone."

She took his hand and placed it over her heart.

"My heart is about to beat out of my chest."

Steve took her hand and put it over his.

"It'll be a race to see who has the heart attack first."

Steve's was beating wildy too. Kono smiled up at him, slipped her hand into his hair and pulled him down for another kiss. This one was slow and yielding. Steve loved kissing this woman. The kiss lasted for a long time and when they parted he pulled her as close to him as he could. The moonlight poured down on them and they rocked softly together to the sound of the water falling nearby. That night a pledge had been made. This was the beginning of a new life.

Two people were becoming one in heart, mind and soul.

Author's Notes: Sigh…that's what I wish we could see on the show. It would be so cool to showcase some of the sites and places of the island. I love Oahu and have vacationed there. Love it! That's it on this one Gang, but I am already working on a new story just for shirik. She asked for hurt Steve so I am planning to deliver. I hope to start posting over the weekend. We will see how things go. Hope you liked this one. I had to do a lot of research on the cave systems around Oahu and have never been to Shark's Cove. I want to go back now and explore it. Drop me a review if you can. It keeps my motor running. I save them all and read them when I am having a bad day. You make me laugh out loud. By the way, Duke's Canoe Club restaurant really exists in Waikiki. It's between two of the grand hotels that sit on the beach; the Moana Surfrider and the Royal Hawaiian. I've had the Hula Pie and it's to die for. There's a recipe online that comes really close. The waterfall Steve took her to is also on Oahu. It's in the foothills of Koolau Mountains. On our tour we hiked through the rainforest to the waterfall and then jumped in and swam. You can stand under the waterfall. It was just like every movie I had ever seen like that. Even though there were several people on the hike, it was still romantic for my husband and I. They take you through a golf course and then to a beach that has the whitest sand I have ever seen. The tours are kind of expensive, but it is totally worth it. It's one of those once in a lifetime experiences.


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